Apparatus for and method of forming cushion constructions



April 941. A. H. HABERSTUMP 2,238,773

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF FORMING CUSHION CONSTRUCTION-3 Filed Dec.10, 1957 r M U T. S m 3 MM WHY m D .F R F L A Patented Apr. 15, 1941APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF FORM- ING CUSHION CONSTRUCTION S Alfred H.Haberstump, Detroit, Mich, assignor to The Murray Corporation ofAmerica, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application December10, 1937,'Serial No. 179,075

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for and method of formingupholstery articles; and particularly relates to an apparatus for andmethod of combining a backing element, a pad, and. trim material to formupholstery articles.

One of the primary objects of the present in vention is to provide animproved and simplified apparatus for and method of fabricatingupholstery articles in which padding is disposed on a backing elementand fixed thereto, then sectioned, and then the finish material disposedon and stitched to the section.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure whereby acontinuous fibrous pad is stitched to a continuous backing element andthereafter severed into sections.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide a structure in which acontinuous strip of padding, which has been stitched to the backingmaterial, is continuously fed to a severing mechanism. located adjacentthe top of an inclined conveyor or chute whereby the severed sectionsimmediately drop by gravity away from the severin means.

Qther objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingspecification, the drawing relating thereto, and from the claimshereinafter set forth.

. In the drawing in which like numerals are used to designate like partsin the several views throughout:

Figure 1 is a broken perspective view of a seat cushion representing onetype of article to which the present invention applies;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary diagrammatic perspective view of the majorportion of a machine according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the conveyer mechanism whichis at the discharge end and completes the apparatus illustrated in Fig.2; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating the article inits various stages of manufacture.

Referring to the drawing a garnetting machine, such as that illustratedin the copending application of Clarence W. Avery, Serial No. 58,859,filed January 13, 1936, is partially illustrated having an upwardlydirected discharge conveyer Hi. It is to be understood that a suitablesupply of non woven fibrous material is fed into the garnetting machinewithin which the cutters and combs serve to tear up the fibers anddistribute them at random substantially in a. uniform non- Woven layerto the endless conveyor belt I0, which operatesupcn the usual endpulleys or rollers l2. This web of padding material indicated at I4 isdischarged onto a downwardly directed conveyer belt it which oscillatestransversely above an endless conveyer belt ill. The conveyor belt I5 ismounted for oscillation in the manner described in the Avery copendingapplication referred to. As the lower endof the conveyer'lfireciprocates above the conveyer Hi, the layer of non-woven paddingmaterial is distributed substantially uniformly on the conveyor l8 toform a continuous bat of fibrous material. The conveyer I8 is supportedat its ends on the usual rollers which are in turn supported by theusual frame Work. The means for driving the rollers are not illustrated,but it is to be understood that suitable means may be used forcontinuously driving the conveyer at desired speeds.

The formed bat 2! is discharged from the conveyer i 8 and passes througha pair of suitably driven compression rollers 22, over a guide roller24, and between other suitably driven compression rollers 26. Theserollers may also be suitably supported and driven; and the compressionrollers are suitably adjustably mounted so that they may be adjustedtoward each other to define passes therebetween of desired thickness.

A reel 28 of burlap 3B, or other suitable backing material, ispositioned beneath the path of the Km bat Z3, and is suitably supportedon a frame 32.

Another similar reel 34 having burlap thereon is preferably positionedadjacent the first reel so that the burlap .on the reel 34 may-beattached to the end of the burlap on the reel 23 so that j a continuousribbon of backing material is supplied to the machine. The backingmaterial is passed over an idle roller 36 and forms a conveyer supportfor the continuous hat 2%.

The-strip of burlap 35 having the bat 2% superimposed thereon is thenfed through a pair of suitably driven rollers 38 which are mounted on astitching or sewing machine generally indicated at til. The sewingmachine per se may be of conventional construction; and stitches the bat20 to the backing strip 36 along longitudinally extending stitch lines42 to form a composite strip. As the stitched bat and backing materialleave the rollers 38 of the stitching machine 40 they are passedupwardly between a pair of suitably driven rollers 44, which aresuitably mounted above a frame 46. The frame supports a severingelement. such as a transversely extending knife 48, which is pivotallymounted at one end by a pivot to the frame 46. The knife 48 may beperiodically and automatically operated by suitable mechanical means, orit may be hand operated to sever the continuous strip of padding andbacking material into sections 52 of desired size. The bat and backingmaterial are supported upon a downwardly inclined table conveyer orchute 54 as they pass under the severing means 18; and simultaneouslywith the severing the severed section 52 drops by gravity down the tableconveyer 54. Instead of the chute conveyer 54, a mechanical conveyer maybe used such as one having endless belts with upwardly directed pinswhich project into the sections and carry-them downwardly to the bottomof the conveyer.

A substantially horizontal conveyer 56 is disposed adjacent the lowerend of the table conveyer 54 and carries the severed sections under theremaining elements of the machine to complete the article. The remainingelements of the machine are substantially the same in function andarrangement as the corresponding elements illustrated in the copendingapplication of Alfred E. I-Iaberstump, Serial No. 155,281, filed July23, 1937.

The conveyer 55 intermittently operates to pass the severed section 52under a gathering device 58, which is illustrated. in lowered position.Sheets of top material 60 of proper dimensions are disposed on a table62, from which they are taken one at a time and placed on channel-likeelements of the gathering device 58. tails of the gathering device 58and the conveyer 56 with the intermittent means for the conveyer 56 areillustrated in detail in the Haberstump application above referred to.The arms of the gathering device 58 cooperate with the chan- Y nelelement to gather the material along the lines to be sewn. After thematerial has been gathered in this manner, the pad and trim materialsare advanced by the conveyer 56 to a position above continuouslyactuated conveyer chains having projecting pins which pierce the backingsheet and pad when the conveyer 55 is lowered to dispose the assembledunit, upon the conveyer chain. The details of the conveyer chains andtheir operation are also disclosed in detail in the Haberstumpapplication referred to. The conveyer chains referred to arecontinuously driven so that the assembled units are disposed in positionin a sewing machine 64. The stitching of the pad by the machine 64occurs along the lines on which the gathering of the trim materialoccurs.

The article after having the trim material stitched thereto isillustrated at 65 and is discharged from the sewing machine on to acontinuously driven conveyer belt 66. The exposed corners 68 of thearticle 65 are thereafter trimmed to provide the finished article NJ.

The driving ,means for the various rolls and elements of the machine arenot illustrated in detail as those skilled in the art will readilyunderstand how such drive means maybe applied. It is preferable that asingle drive means be used for the sewing machine 54, and the variousrollers and conveyers be driven in synchronism with the machine so thatthe various steps in the method may be accomplished in timed sequence.

From the above it is evident that the method The de- 7 sections,applying a cover material to each of said of constructing the pads iscontinuous and enibodies the feeding of a continuous sheet of backingmaterial to the under side of the continuously moving bat of fibrousmaterial. The continuous hat of fibrous material is superimposed uponthe continuous strip of backing material and is then continuously fedthrough a stitching machine and continuously conveyed to a severingmeans where the continuous strip is severed into sections. The sectionsthen drop by gravity to an intermittently operated conveyer which passthe sections intermittently to a gathering device Where sheets ofcovering material are placed thereon and gathered along the line to besewn. The sections at this stage are then deposited upon a continuouslyoperating conveyer which continuously advances the articl through thesewing machine.

Formal changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the inventiondescribed without departing from the spirit and substance of theinvention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In the method of preparing upholstery, the steps which comprisecontinuously applying a substantially uniform layer of padding materialto a strip of backing material to form a composite strip, continuouslymoving the composite strip through a stitching machine, stitching thepadding material and the backing material together, thereafter severingthe composite strip into sections, applying a cover material to each ofthe sections, and sewing the padding material, backing material, andcover material together along predetermined lines.

2. In the method of preparing upholstery, the steps which comprisecontinuously applying a substantially uniform layer of padding materialto a strip of backing material to form a composite strip, continuouslymoving the composite strip through a stitching machine, continuouslystitching the padding material and the backing material together alonglongitudinally extending lines, thereafter severing the composite stripinto sections, intermittently moving said sections through a meansforming fullness in the cover material, continuously moving thecomposite strip with the cover thereon through a sewing machine, andsewing the section and material along predetermined lines.

3. A pad forming device including, in combination, means forcontinuously feeding a strip of backing material, means for continuouslydepositing a bat of fibrous'material on said strip as said strip isadvanced, means for stitching said bat and said strip together alonglongitudi nally extending lines to form a composite strip, means forpositioning said composite strip above said stitching means, adownwardly inclined conveyor located adjacent said last named means,severing means disposed adjacent the top of said conveyor to out saidcomposite strip into sections, means for gathering fullness in a covermaterial disposed on each of said sections, and means for stitching saidsections and said material together.

ALFRED H. HABERSTUMP.

